Down and Out in Orre
by Gazing on the Arabesque
Summary: When Kei Tanaka arrives in Orre, he is thrown head first into a decades old conspiracy involving Cipher and Shadow Pokemon. With the help of the past-tormented Sayu Arai, can he overthrow and disband the criminal syndicate once and for all?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey. This idea's been buzzing in my head for… I don't even know how long. It sounds really good in my head, but I don't know if I can pull it off. Anyway, this story takes place ten years after Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. The main characters of this story, Kei and Sayu, are two OC's. Here are the ages of all major and supporting characters (in order of appearance):**

**Kei – 14**

**Krane – 35-40**

**Jovi – 15**

**Eagun – 70**

**Sayu – 14**

**Cron – 70**

**Enjoy!**

XX

The ship from Vermillion City in Kanto finally pulled into Gateon Port. Kei Tanaka stood with both hands on the railing, scanning the crowd that had gathered around the ship for his uncle. He wasn't too hard to find; it wasn't easy to miss a rather short man with messy red hair, rectangular glasses, and a long white lab coat. "Kei!" the man yelled, waving both his arms above his head. Kei waved back enthusiastically.

"Uncle Krane!" he yelled back, waving. He dashed off the ship, constantly pushing his reddish-brown hair out of his eyes. He skidded to a halt in front of his uncle. He was several inches taller than the renowned Pokémon professor, and just as skinny.

"Wow!" Professor Krane shouted. "You sure grew. Last time I saw you, you were shorter than Jovi. Remember her?" Kei scratched the back of his head, recalling the hyperactive blue-haired girl he'd met last time he visited his uncle.

"Oh yeah, I remember," he replied. Professor Krane lifted Kei's duffel bag with both hands and hauled it over to a white van.

"So, Mount Battle, huh?" he asked, looking back at his nephew. "One hundred consecutive battles. Think you're up to the challenge?" Kei nodded confidently.

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." He propped open the trunk, and Krane dropped the duffel bag in.

"So why did you decide to take the Mount Battle challenge instead of participating in the Pokémon League?" Kei shrugged.

"I didn't get in. Only about fifty people get into the league each time, and I wasn't one of those fifty."

"But your mom said you were a good battler, so I didn't think you'd have a problem."

"It's done by lottery. I got a starter Pokémon and everything, but I wasn't chosen for the League, so I decided to try my luck here." They both got into the front seats of the van. Professor Krane put the key in the ignition and began to drive off.

"Before you go to Mount Battle, you might want to check out Agate Village," he said to Kei.

"What's that?" Kei asked.

"It's a village of retired trainers," Krane explained. "They were quite famous in their day and some of them are still pretty strong. Take Eagun, for example. He still has his first Pokémon, and it's in top condition." Kei smirked.

"Maybe I'll drop by there tomorrow." Krane smiled back.

"You should. All those older trainers could give you some really great advice. You should also try the battle simulation system at the Pokémon HQ Lab."

"Sounds fun." Soon enough, a large white building with glass doors entered view. A couple scientists in white lab coats stood outside, tending to the wide array of flora outside. Kei opened the door and hopped outside. He reached into his belt and pulled out Pokeball. He tossed it on the ground and, in a flash of white light, an Ivysaur stood in its place. "I think it's time Orre knows we're here. What do you think Ivysaur?"

"Saur!" Ivysaur barked back excitedly. Kei smirked lightly.

"I thought so." The glass doors to the Pokémon HQ Lab slid open, and Kei entered. Nothing had change since he visited nine years ago. The floors were still made of white tiles, all the doors were still made of glass, and the entire lab still had a clean air about it. A rather short girl with blue hair pulled up in a messy bun and green eyes walked out of one of the large cubicle-like rooms. A Minun sat on her shoulder and a Plusle hopped behind her.

"Oh!" she gasped. "Kei!" She ran up to him. "Wow, I haven't seen you in forever!" Kei laughed.

"It's good to see you too, Jovi," he said. "How are you?"

"I'm good," she replied. "My mom and Professor Krane are actually letting me conduct research now."

"And how's your brother?" Kei prompted.

"Michael left to try his luck in Johto," Jovi replied. "Last I heard, he was somewhere in Olivine."

"Really?" Kei asked. "That sucks. I was wondering if he could give me a few pointers on battling." Jovi shrugged.

"Maybe he'll come back while you're still here. You never know." Krane stepped towards Jovi and Kei.

"So, Kei," he said, "you said you wanted to go to Agate, right? Well, I've got a motorbike all set up for you. You can use it as long as you're here. Kei grinned widely.

"Great. I think I'll go to Agate tomorrow." Krane smiled.

"That's the spirit! Let's go grab your things. Make yourself at home."

XX

**Ugh, such a slow, boring beginning. Anyway, you know how almost all Pokémon games are all happy-happy-joy-joy? You know how Pokémon only attacked each other and not the trainers? You know how the worst crimes Cipher committed were snagging people's Pokémon and turning them into Shadow Pokémon? Well, in the chapters to come, you will experience much more… mature elements such as murder, physical assault by Pokémon, Pokémon death, and prostitution. So… that will all come later. PLEASE REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So the real drama begins in this chapter... well at least PART of it. The first chapter only served to cushion you readers. The other main character, Sayu, makes her appearance here. You know Cron, that old man you have to battle right before you battle Eagun in Pokémon XD? The one who's never lost to anyone except Eagun? Well, he's Sayu's grandfather. Enjoy!**

XX

Kei pulled the key out of the ignition of his new motorbike after pulling up at a lush green village. A good night's sleep was all he needed before facing the Pokémon veterans. A girl about his age with long black hair and dark brown eyes stood at the entrance to Agate Village, crossing her arms. There was something about her that told Kei that he wasn't welcome in her village. "Um… excuse me," he said as nicely as he possibly could. "Do you know where Eagun's house is?" The girl looked behind her and pointed to a large tree at the top of a hill.

"Do you see that tree?" she asked. "Eagun's house is inside. Why do you want to see him?"

"I wanted to battle him," Kei explained. The girl sighed.

"He just never knows when to quit," she mumbled. "I swear, he's going to throw out his back again." She stalked off.

"Thank you!" Kei called after her.

"No problem," was her stiff reply. Kei made his way up to the tree the girl had pointed out and knocked on the door. An old lady opened it and stared at his face for several seconds before greeting him.

"Well, hello dear!" she greeted. "You look like a trainer. Did you come here to ask Eagun for a battle, by any chance?"

"Yup," Kei replied confidently. "Is he home?"

"Yes, dear," the old lady replied. "Eagun! A young trainer is here to see you!" She turned her attention back to Kei. "Why don't you come in?" Kei followed the old lady into the house, which looked like a normal home despite its outward appearance as a tree. Within seconds, an old man with long grey hair he could only assume was Eagun bounded down the stairs and skidded to a halt in front of him. Now he understood what the girl meant when she said that Eagun never knew when to give up.

"Hello!" he greeted loudly. "I've never seen you before. You are…"

"Kei Tanaka," Kei replied. "I'm from Viridian City in Kanto. I'm here visiting my uncle."

"And your uncle is…" Eagun prompted.

"Professor Krane," Kei replied shortly.

"Professor Krane!" Eagun repeated. "A wonderful man. So, shall we get this battle started?"

"Not in the house," the old lady piped up.

"Of course not, Beluh," Eagun coaxed. "I was thinking we could go over to Relic Forest. It's pretty quiet over there, so no one will disturb us." The two made their way down to said forest, where a large stone lay in the center.

"What's with that stone?" Kei asked.

"That's the Relic Stone," Eagun explained. "Celebi made this forest himself, and you can access his power through the Relic Stone." Kei's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"You'll need a Time Flute to call Celebi, though and he's only ever shown its face willingly to one person. A little boy named Eiri."

"So, you think he can call Celebi down here?" Eagun's expression suddenly turned grave.

"Eiri's dead." Kei's breath caught in his chest.

"Oh," was all he said. Eagun was quick to perk up again.

"Let's get the battle started, shall we?" he asked as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokeball. He tossed it on the ground, and a Pikachu appeared in its place. Kei followed suit and sent out his Ivysaur. "Don't be fooled. I may look old, but I've still got some youth left in me." Kei smirked.

"We'll see about that," came his arrogant reply. "Ivysaur, vine whip!" Pikachu easily dodged Ivysaur's attack, and Ivysaur's vines hit the Relic Stone. Pikachu reclaimed its spot in front of the Relic Stone. "Ok then, razor leaf!" Pikachu dodged again, and the Relic Stone was forced to endure an onslaught of leaves.

"Pikachu, thunderbolt!" Eagun yelled.

"Pika… CHU!" Pikachu yelled as electricity flew from its body. Poor Ivysaur ended up taking the hit. Kei balled his hands into fists and gritted his teeth together.

"All right then…" he practically growled. "Ivysaur, use—"

"Stop!" a new voice yelled. Both Eagun and Kei looked up to see the same girl from before standing at the entrance with her arms crossed. "What do you think you're doing?" Kei looked up at Eagun, who was scratching the back of his head and smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry, Sayu," he said. "I forgot. We'll move someplace else." The girl Sayu sighed.

"Thank you," she replied somewhat irritably.

"Come on, Kei," Eagun said as he led the confused boy out of the forest. Kei looked back at Sayu. She was sitting on the ground with her back propped up against the Relic stone, hugging her knees to her chest. Eagun didn't speak again until they were both out of the forest.

"What was that about?" Kei asked. "Who was that girl?"

"That's Sayu," Eagun explained. "My friend Cron's granddaughter."

"What's _her_ problem?" Kei asked, flopping down on the grass.

"She's just overprotective of the Relic Stone and the entire Relic Forest."

"Why? Because of Celebi?"

"That's… part of it. Sayu's brother died in the Relic Forest, and his body's at the bottom of the lake there… You know, that boy Eiri I was telling you about before."

"The one who's friends with Celebi?"

"Yes." Kei sat up.

"What happened?" Eagun sighed.

"About twenty years ago, there was an evil criminal syndicate called Cipher. With the help of another criminal organization, Team Snagem, Cipher snagged Pokémon from trainers and turned them into Shadow Pokémon, Pokémon who had their hearts artificially shut."

"That's horrible…" Kei mumbled quietly.

"Fortunately, they were stopped by a young man named Wes and my granddaughter Rui, but they rose into power again about ten years later. A boy named Michael stopped them that time." Kei jerked his head upwards.

"Michael?" he repeated. "From the Pokémon HQ Lab?"

"That would be him," Eagun replied.

"Oh, so Jovi's brother stopped this Cipher thing?" Eagun pondered this for a minute.

"Yes. Sorry, I forgot his sister's name for a moment."

"But what does this have to do with that kid Eiri?"

"A few members of Cipher remained after their second downfall, and they were still loyal to the organization. One of them got so angry a few years after Cipher's second downfall that he came all the way down here to destroy the Relic Stone. He killed Eiri to get to it, and he would have succeeded if it weren't for Celebi."

"But why the Relic Stone? It's just a giant rock in the middle of a forest."

"Yes, but the Relic Stone has the power to purify Pokémon as well. It's not like there were any other Shadow Pokémon at that time, so that just makes what he did worse." Kei sighed. "That was almost seven years ago, but poor Sayu never really got over it. She doesn't talk to anyone, and she spends hours in the Relic Forest every day."

"That's so sad…" Kei mumbled.

"I think you can understand now why Sayu hates it when people battle in the Relic Forest."

"Yeah." Kei grunted as he stood up. "Speaking of which, shall we finish our battle?" Eagun grinned.

"Oh yes. I was looking forward to defeating you."

XX

**Ok… I lied. Not much drama in this chapter either. Hopefully you'll stick around for the full story. PLEASE REVIEW!**


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